It is known to use various structures to hold blades including machines used in the food-processing and food-connected industries. In meat-skinning machines several structures have been disclosed in the art and patented. Typical machines known in the art are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,703,217; 3,542,105; 4,466,344 and 4,606,093.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,703,217 issued to Watson, a meat-skinning machine is disclosed having means for stretching out the wrinkles from meat slabs before feeding them to the skinning machine. The improvement in Watson resides in improved feeding means whereby the slabs of meat are pushed against the cutting edge of the skinning knife as distinguished from former machines where the slabs of meat were pulled against the knife by fingers which engage the edges of the skin of the meat slabs. The skinning knife of Watson's device is in the form of an endless band 45 positioned so that its cutting edge 48 extends outwardly of roller 25. The knife or blade 45 of Watson is secured by set screws 80 and 81 threaded in plates 67 and 68. The endless band blade 45 of Watson is extended around wheels 46 and 47 and travels therearound. There is no specific teachings in Watson of clamping means to secure a cutting blade in position nor means to change and clean said blade.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,105 Townsend, a method of skinning meat is disclosed using a skinning machine that controls the relative concentric positions of the gripping roll and the pressure shoe 70 on which the blade 76 is mounted. Adjusting screws 78 are provided in shoe 70 for adjusting the position of the skinning blade 76; see FIG. 9 of Townsend. It is assumed that adjusting screws 78 when loosened would permit the blade 78 to be removed, however Townsend is silent on this feature.
In Townsend II, U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,093 a meat-skinning machine is disclosed. A feature of Townsend II is to provide improved means for moving an adjustable knife or blade between a plurality of different positions. The blade control assembly 18 of Townsend II comprises a blade 24 which is held by an upper blade holder 26 and a lower blade holder 28 which are held together by means of a screw 30. To remove the blade Townsend II's device would require the user to unscrew or remove machine screw 30, separate parts 26 and 28 and thereby remove or replace the blade. This screw removal means used and taught by Townsend II is conventionally used now in many prior art devices. A simple, more efficient structure for holding and removing blades from this type structure would provide a significant advance in the art.
In Schill, U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,344 a bacon-skinning machine is disclosed wherein the blade or knife is movable by a support having two arms which carry the knife holder. The arms are movable lengthwise and are pivotable by two eccentrics mounted on a shaft which is rotatable by a single lever. The lever can move the support to a position in which the holder and the knife can be detached from the arms. The blade 5 of Schill is held in a holder 4 and means are provided for yieldably biasing the holder 4 and the knife 5 toward a traction wheel 3. This prior art patent is specific on means for adjusting the location of blade 5 and does not detail means for removing or holding the blade in position. It is assumed that conventional means are used in holder 4 of Schill to hold blade 5 in position. Again, a simple, efficient means to remove or insert a blade would be highly desirable.
Thus, the prior art does not teach a blade-holding device where the blade can be removed and replaced (or cleaned) by simple exterior means. Unscrewing bolts or screws or other known removal or loosening means requires time-consuming and sometimes complex and confusing ways of removing blades from its holder. Even in the most efficient blade holders, it generally requires a relatively complicated maneuver to separate the two blade-holding members by unscrewing and subsequently screwing a plurality of holding screws or bolts.